Evaluation of Zinc on Growth and Yield of Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2025 at the Agriculture Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Tantia University, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. The experiment was laid out in a randomised block design (RBD) with three replications and eight treatments comprising different levels and methods of zinc application through soil application and foliar spray. The results revealed that zinc application significantly improved the growth, yield attributes, yield, and economics of mungbean. Among the treatments, soil application of ZnSO₄ @ 25 kg ha⁻¹ along with foliar sprays of ZnSO₄ @ 0.5% at 30 and 60 DAS (T₇) recorded significantly higher plant height (74.56 cm), dry matter accumulation (23.01 g plant⁻¹), number of pods plant⁻¹ (22.98), seeds pod⁻¹ (9.43), and test weight (32.82 g) compared with the control. The same treatment also produced the highest grain yield (1585.81 kg ha⁻¹), stover yield (2446.23 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (4032.04 kg ha⁻¹). Economic analysis indicated that T₇ recorded the maximum net return (₹104754.38 ha⁻¹) and benefit-cost ratio (4.26). Therefore, it can be concluded that soil application of ZnSO₄ @ 25 kg ha⁻¹ combined with foliar sprays of ZnSO₄ @ 0.5% at 30 and 60 DAS (T₇) proved to be the most effective treatment for enhancing the growth, productivity, and profitability of mungbean under the agro-climatic conditions of Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan.